Fandom Drabbles
by Storysiren13
Summary: Bits and pieces of various worlds.
1. Pale

" _I just need a lighter, It's New York, someone should have one!" "I have a flamethrower, will that work?"_

Irene shoved the pack into her purse, _carefully; can't let the monitors catch her._ She resisted the urge to glance at the cameras stationed in the corners. "I just want some cigarettes, nothing suspicious about that," She whispered quietly. She started walking. The florescent lights painted a contrast between the girl's pale white features and her pitch-black hair.

Irene twitched as she walked past customers. _I suppose I could just use these new abilities-_ The pale girl stopped in the middle of the aisle _-no, I won't. I'm_ _ **not**_ _this thing that they made me. I. Am. Not!_ She opened her eyes, red swirling in them and wisps curling off her clenched fists. Then she blinked, and it all disappeared. _No._

 _Quickly, innocently._ Irene walked slowly, flashing a guiltless smile at the cashier as she left the store, the ting-a-ling of the bell ringing as the door closed. She started to walk. Lit up signs flashed harshly against the semi-darkness. One, two, four, seven blocks. The New York night was filled with noise and people of all types. But Irene only heard the click of her heels, only saw the alleyway she would slip into.

 _Head up high, eyes ahead, poker face, squared shoulders._ Crowds parted out of the girl's way, Dead Sea style, on the sidewalks. _They can't, won't find you that way. Guiltless, don't look guilty._ Afterwards, they questioned themselves, why were they afraid of an eighteen-year-old girl?

Ten blocks from the store, Irene squeezed into an alleyway. She lounged against the wall. The stolen cigarette pack peeked out of the top of her handbag. Opening it up, she put a cigarette to her lips. But where was her lighter?

Irene frowned, a slow crease of ruby red lips. She rolled her eyes and started rooting through her purse. "You've got to be kidding me." A lighter didn't show up.

"Great," Irene hissed, drawing out the word. Now she would have to ask. Ask people on the sidewalks, because she couldn't possibly go back to the store. She sighed. _So._ She slumped against the wall, idly picking at the threads of her white dress. _Which angle am I going for? Cutesy? Homeless? Drunk?_ _Better go for tipsy._ The teen sloped out of the alleyway.

On the sidewalk, Irene turned into a tipsy sorority sister. She plastered on a happy smile and tottered in too high heels. "Heyyy, do you have a –hic- lighter?"

Percy frowned at the slight girl leaning on him. "No," He said, gently pushing her off. All of a sudden, she whipped around. The girl _growled_ , deep and feral. Her skin _glowed_ and her hair floated _upwards_. Percy blinked. She had disappeared into the crowd spilling off the sidewalk. Percy sighed. He began to follow the tail of her white dress. Something was wrong with that girl, and that usually meant monsters. The hunt was on.

After an hour, Irene gave up. The cute drunk act was starting to attract the wrong people. She slinked back to the alleyway.

"Why?!" Irene growled, gritting her teeth, "I just need a lighter, it's New York, someone should have one!" She punched the brick wall. Light green blood dripped off her knuckles and splashed on the concrete below. Irene didn't notice. Rage clouded her mind, swirled around her head, whispered sweet evils in her ears. The sounds of New York passed by the alleyway, a bubble of silence in a sea of noise.

Minutes passed by. Irene had closed her eyes and slumped. She seemed visibly relaxed, the anger gone. _One, three, five, seven, nine, eleven, thirteen._ A lucky number. The not-quite-a-girl straightened, and took a deep breath. _Concentrate. Take it, and use it._ The pale teen melted into the shadows. She missed the lone figure watching. "I have a flamethrower, will that work?"

Twenty miles away, amongst crowds of supernatural hunters and catchers, a wisp of blue-grey air escaped the mouth of another black-haired teen. Danny smiled. "Finally." The hunt was on.


	2. Shocking

" _I'm rather fond of ghosts and spirits. It's the living that tick me off." Danny laughed nervously, "Good thing I'm a spirit then, huh?" The girl smiled. "Yes, a good thing."_

Emma sighed. The new boy on the block just had to be stuck into her locker, didn't he? "Up and out we go," She heaved him out of the cramped space.

"Thanks," He muttered, black shock of hair covering his eyes.

"Sure." Emma smiled half-heartedly, "Now c'mon, we're gonna be late to class." She took his hand and ran down the hallway.

"You have Mrs. Rasz for English, right?" He yelled behind her shoulder as they dodged a group of freshmen.

"Yeah." They ran into the classroom as the tardy bell rung.

"Ah Ms. Roses, Mr. Fenton, how nice of you to join us." Mrs. Rasz called out as they slumped into seats at the back of the room. The guy laid his head on the desk.

"Don't worry," Emma whispered to the teen's head, "she doesn't mark you tardy if you're not in your seat, you just have to be in the room." The boy turned his head to look at her, and Emma's heart leaped into her throat. His shock of black hair fell to the side, revealing ice-blue eyes, reminding her of the harsh winter outside. She shivered as they caught her own dark brown. "Thanks."

A blush crawled up her neck and spread over her cheeks as the redhead nodded furiously. "My-my name's Emma."

"Danny." He smiled. She smiled back tightly, heat simmering on her skin. _He's cute._ Danny turned his attention to the teacher.

 _He's cute, he's cute, he's mega cute._ It took several minutes before her blush died and she didn't want the earth to swallow her up quite so much. She breathed, eyes down, and glanced at her watch: 7:52. She had come in at 7:25, and had gotten Danny out of her locker at 7:27. She had usually left her locker at 7:53, since it took her at least five minutes to get from the 800 wing to the 700 wing. But today she left her locker at 7:56, and pulled Danny with her to class at 7:59. That was impossible – She should have been late. _Three minutes. That's impossible._ She eyed the boy next to her. Did he do something to help them get to class faster?

 _Who, or what, is he?_

"Crazy, creepy girl at ten o'clock!" Emma rolled her eyes, walking past the grinning group of seniors. The same old jokes every day, every week, every year. She would think they would have gotten used to her by now.

The redhead arrived at her locker, good ole' 839. "I'm rather fond of ghosts and spirits. It's the living that tick me off." She drawled to her locker mirror. Behind her, screams started and dust fell from the ceiling. _Another ghost attack, just another day._ However, it was decidedly not normal for one of them to crash through her locker. Emma fell to the floor and watched the ghost skid into the row of lockers behind hers. She then noticed all of her books had been displaced, and were now scattered across the hallway, with paper sprinkled among them. She groaned at the ceiling.

"Good thing I'm a spirit then, huh?" The ghost laughed nervously, a shock of white hair covering his face. Emma turned her head so fast she was afraid she had whiplash. _He almost looks like..no, that's-that's impossible._ Emma frowned _. Isn't it?_ The redheaded girl tilted her head, eyes glittering and a smile like a loaded gun. "Yes, a very good thing."


	3. Electrifying

" _Why are you glaring at me?" "I'm hoping you'll spontaneously combust!"_

Danny hung his head back. According to the clock, math class wasn't out for another twenty minutes. He sighed. The teacher droned on, something about quadratic formulas. They'd already gone over that last week. "Hey Emma, what are you drawing?"

The redhead didn't look up and instead hunched over her drawing. Danny frowned. "Emma?" She still ignored him.

Chalking it up to girls being girls, Danny _did_ want to know what she was drawing. He tilted back his chair, and caught a glimpse of his alter-ego Phantom. She was finishing his hair. Danny grinned; he didn't know she was a fan. Then she glared at the drawing and stabbed it with a pencil.

"What did I-he do?! Why are you glaring at your picture?"

"I'm hoping it'll spontaneously combust." Emma replied in a monotone. "And he knows what-what he did!" Emma poked it again. Danny winced with every stab. "He knows!"

"Are-are you okay?" Danny nervously ventured the question.

"N-no." Emma sniffled, and turned towards him. The black-haired boy gasped. A large bruise was developing on the side of her freckled face, red and angry and _oh man did he do that?_

Emma turned away from Danny and raised her hand, "May-may I go to the ba-bathroom?" Her voice trembled. The teacher nodded, and the redhead fled the room.

"I.." Danny stared after Emma, his friend, _his friend that he had hurt, he had to do something._ "Can I go to the bathroom?"

Emma stared at her reflection. The bruise on her cheek was turning redder, impossible to ignore. "Stupid ghost attacks. Stu-stupid ghost hero."

"I'm _really_ sorry about th-" Phantom started, floating.

"AAAAAHHHHH WHAT THE _HELL?!"_ Emma screamed at the sudden appearance of the ghost she had just insulted. "WHY ARE YOU IN HERE? THIS IS THE _GIRLS_ BATHROOM!" She cowered against the wall.

Phantom turned red. He _of course_ knew that, but was hoping she would just ignore it. No luck there. "I, um, I wanted to apologize."

Emma blinked, seemingly recovered from his sudden appearance. "Apologize?"

The ghost boy frowned, "Yeah? I mean, I accidently hit you in th-"

"How did you know about that?" Emma's eyes were as wide as coins, "Have you been _spying_ on me?"

Oh boy. "No!" Phantom threw up his palms in the universal sign for peace. "A friend told me!"

Still leaning into the wall for support, Emma crossed her arms. She was slowly getting her fear under control. Phantom didn't _seem_ nasty and cruel and everything else those ghost hunters had been spouting about him. And a 'friend'? Was it really that easy?

"I don't suppose," Emma drawled, looking at her nails, "this friend would be Danny Fenton, would it?" She smiled and looked up. The teen had underestimated the impact of her question on the ghost boy.

"How do you know that?" Phantom breathed, soft as the wind. He was paler than usual. He stared at Emma, terrified. "How do you know that?"

Emma stared at him, all playfulness forgotten. "I-I figured it out the first time I saw you, when you..hit me." Emma looked away. She looked up in time to see Phantom, no, _Fenton_ disappear through the wall. She slid to the floor. What-why would Danny be scared that she knew? It wasn't like his parents were hunting him or-oh.

"I'm sorry." She murmured, now understanding the gravity of the situation. "I'm so, so sorry."

A tiny ghost of a smile appeared as Emma opened her locker. It almost made her forget the quickly reddening bruise on the side of her face. Her new-found friend had left behind a present. She picked up the fire-red ring, decorated with flames on the edges, and slipped it on. It fit perfectly.


	4. The Souls of the Strange

_"It's like she has a soul that's much too big for her."_

Andrea leaned forward, holding onto the triangular rail. The subway stopped, and a new wave of passengers embarked. It's fascinating to watch them all. Their auras are multitudes of every color. Andrea smiled. Then _she_ stomped aboard. Her aura _flared_. Andrea was instantly blinded. She shut her eyes against the light stumbled through the crowd. Earning some glares, not that she could see them, Andrea fell into a seat. "Owww." An uncomfortable weight dug underneath her legs. The doors closed with a whistle, and the subway launched forward.

"Could you get your feet off of me?" An annoyed voice inquired to her right.

"Oh, sorry." Andrea sat up, a wave of vertigo crashing over her, and put her feet on the floor.

"Are you okay?"

Indistinct shapes danced from underneath her eye lids. "Yeah, yeah I'm-I mean I will be fine."

"What happened?" The girl shifted beside her.

"I, um, fell." Because she couldn't very well say she got blinded by someone's aura now could she? Andrea opened her eyes and blinked. They seemed to be fine now. Andrea turned to the person beside her. She was pretty, all dressed in black. Raven hair pulled back into a ponytail, black shirt and skirt, and boots with silver tips. It was _the_ girl. Her aura had dimmed, and Andrea could see it.

Dark purple streaks swirled around her, tightly woven with golden yellow and vivid sky blue. Yet, Yet, Andrea squinted, faint neon green streak overlaid them all. In all her life, she had never seen such a color in one's aura. "Your aura blinded me."

"What?" The girl looked at her strangely.

Andrea shook her head. "I'm sorry, can we-can we start again?" She stuck out her hand, "I'm Andrea."

The girl smiled and shook it. "Sam. So what is this about 'my aura'?" Sam closed her eyes and laid back, hands behind her head.

Andrea took a deep breath. Keep it simple, short, easy. She looked down and twiddled her fingers. "Everyone-every living thing I mean, has an aura. Your aura is sort of a 'physical' representation of your soul. It has a core color, which represents you, and other colors of the people you are with the most." Andrea looked sideways at the other girl. Sam was frowning. Andrea looked back down, dark brown hair covering her face.

"Um, anyways, the more vivid the color, the more that person is confident or in tune with themselves. Most people's auras are mildly visible, while a few are bright. But you…" Andrea trailed off. She sat up. "Your aura was so bright that I was physically blinded. It flared." Did Sam actually believe her?

Sam leaned forward, eyes twinkling, "So I, what, really believe in myself and friends? Something like that? And what colors are in my aura anyways?"

Andrea smiled crookedly. "Something like that. And your aura is purple, representing you, yellow, and an _extremely_ vivid blue. A _very_ special friend perhaps?"

Sam smirked, her cheeks pink. "He's just a good friend."

"Uh-huh, okay. Well, there's something weird in your aura and your friends'. There's a faint neon green streak. I've never seen that color in anyone's aura all my life."

Sam, very slightly, stiffened. "I-I don't know what that would be."

Andrea was instantly suspicious. Sam _did_ know who it was, based on her reaction. And that color. Only a few colors were dangerous, reds or blacks; not greens. But Sam's neon green streak almost _pulsed._ Whoever it represented, was an integral part of her and her friends' lives, and if that person was dangerous….


	5. Apparition

_"_ _Nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all."_

"What the heck?" Scarlett murmured. She stared at her phone. A new app had just _appeared_. She did _not_ remember downloading an app called _Validation_. Curious, the redhead clicked it.

Her screen turned black before rebooting. The word _Validation_ flashed across the screen in white cursive. The word disappeared, and a bar popped up, _Name_ hovering over it. Scarlett frowned. She typed in her name.

Words scrolled across the screen before spelling, **Scarlett Roses is actually a human phoenix.**

"What the heck?" Scarlett whisper-screamed, staring at her phone in horror. That-nobody knew about that! Nobody was supposed to know about that! How-how did this app know that?! That was a _secret!_

The words disappeared, and the _Name_ bar popped up again. Scarlett bit the inside of her cheek. How-how on earth did this app know her secret? This was utterly insane! Maybe, maybe she should check the reviews or-or something. See what other people have to say about this. Scarlett scrolled out of the app, instead opening the App Store. One result came up for "validation." Scarlett clicked it.

 _Type in your friend's names, and learn their deepest, darkest secrets!_ The description boasted.

"What the hell?"

"Hey, whatcha looking at?" A voice interrupted her musings.

"Nothing!" Scarlett cried, slamming her phone against the lockers. They clanged loudly. Thank goodness it was after school hours.

The guy obviously didn't believe her. He gave her an uneasy smile. "The name's Tucker. Tucker Foley." He finger-gunned at her.

"The name's Scarlett. Scarlett Roses." She smiled.

"Well, Ms. Roses," He leaned against the lockers, "Are you having phone troubles today? Because I'm sure I could be of assistance."

Scarlett's smile fell. Could he really help? Well, she didn't know anything about phones, and her secret had disappeared from the app…She gave it to Tucker. "This weird new app just appeared on my phone."

"Okay, what does it do?"

She crossed her arms. "Well, you type in a name, and, I-I _think_ , it tells a secret of that person."

Tucker frowned. "What?" He looked down at the phone, then back up to her. "That-that has to be impossible. Nothing, nobody can have all the secrets."

Scarlett shrugged helplessly. "I didn't say it had all the secrets. But you can always try it."

Tucker grimaced and muttered, "Here goes everything." He typed in Danny. **Danny Fenton is also the half-ghost boy known as Danny Phantom.** flashed onto the screen, before disappearing.

Scarlett wondered who he had looked up. They must have had a pretty big secret by the way Tucker reacted. He gaped at the screen, gripping her phone with such force that she was afraid he would crack it.

Scarlett plucked her phone out of his grip. He didn't react. Waving her arm in front of his face did nothing. In the end, Scarlett told herself he would be fine and swiped the app off the screen, only getting a glimpse of the old _Name_ bar. Whatever secret it had revealed must have disappeared.

Tucker came out of his trance. "So, um," he shook his head, "it uh, does know secrets."

Scarlett rolled her eyes, "Yes, that's what I've been trying to tell you."


	6. Shoot First, Ask After

Redwood trees crowded the edges of the clearing, providing a temporary respite from the outside world. Emerald green grass carpeted the forest floor, reaching to the girl's knees. The wind seemed to caress her smile as she relaxed against a tree trunk. Then the sunlight seemed to _quiver_ around Laura, warning of an intruder.

The smile disappeared, replaced by a look of determination. She got up and brushed dirt from her pants, a bag of herbs and medical supplies swinging from her shoulders. Then she leaned against a tree and waited. Something or someone was in _her_ forest. And Laura intended to find out who.

-000-

Sam hadn't _intended_ to be running that day. She had _thought_ she would be able to relax in the park and read a book. She had _hoped_ there wouldn't be any attacks today. A week of non-stop ghost attacks was exhausting. Word had spread quickly that Danny Phantom was gone. Now every ghost from the Zone was trying to take over Amity Park. However, they found that she, Tucker, and Valerie were still here.

"So it was just my luck that a ghost decided to attack today, wasn't it?" Sam huffed, getting off the bench. The Fenton Wrist Blaster hummed as she turned it on, silver-tipped boots pounded the sidewalk as she ran. The ghost birds were chasing some older boy, and he kept twisting around to yell at them. Why?

Sam squinted. Something seemed _off._ The flock of birds were unusually colored for ghosts. Most were brown and tan, with only a few the regular neon green. Maybe they were some new experiment of Vlad's? That'd be just perfect. Sam growled. Then she stopped.

Concrete faded into dirt, trees and grass replacing grey buildings. Sam didn't notice. She followed the broken foliage and distant curses left in his wake. Sometimes she caught glimpses of the flock through

the treetops, hurtling taunts at him. Then one final crash, and it grew quiet. Sam sped up, her ribcage protesting and gasps of breath rattling in her throat. She hoped against hope that it wasn't too late.

-000-

It wasn't long before someone found her hiding spot. It was in the middle of the woods, and rarely did anyone not find it. He wore shaggy pants, a light green shirt, and curly brown hair. She winced as she spotted the two bumps peeking from his curls. The boy staggered into the clearing, and fell face-first into a clump of daisies.

One, two, three, four, five minutes passed as Laura simply stared at the fallen figure. This was _not at all_ what she expected. The first aid kite fell into the grass with a thump as she sat turned him over.

"Really hope you're not the bad guy," The blonde muttered. She eyed his injuries critically. _Superficial shoulder wounds, two head bumps, legs fine, hooves._ "Wait, what?" She picked up his hooves. Was he a cosplayer or something? Then why would he be out here? Laura tried to tug them off, only causing the guy to groan.

Shaking her head in confusion she pushed away the mystery for the moment, and slipped into nurse mode. She unpacked her medical kit and went to work. Dismissing his legs, she tied gauze over the slashes on his shoulders, the barest peek of red bleeding through. Laura studied the bumps on his head. They were an almost glossy dark brown, unlike his pale skin. She frowned and parted the hair around them. They almost looked like _horns,_ if she didn't know better. _Horns, and hooves._ The thought tickled a memory, some mythological creature…

Then a girl crashed through the bushes and tried to shoot her.

-000-

Okay, so there was a ghost girl tending to the guy she was chasing after, with the flock of ghost birds nowhere near. Sam did the obvious thing: she shot at the girl. The girl looked bored as she leaned to the side to avoid the blast. But Sam saw fear flash across her face as she said shakily, "Do you shoot everyone you meet on sight?"

"Only ghosts." Sam gasped, the Wrist Blaster steaming. She was tired, annoyed, sweating and _this was supposed to be her day off dang it!_ The ghost looked at her strangely. "Ghosts?" She pointed to herself, a disbelieving half-smile playing on her lips. "You think _I'm_ a ghost?"

"Yes?" Sam said, now unsure. _Why would a ghost be unsure of itself?_ A traitorous voice whispered in the back of her mind. "Now get away from him!"

"I'm not a ghost," The girl didn't move, instead putting her hands up in the universal sign for peace, "but I _am_ trying to help him." Sam looked the boy over. The girl-ghost-whoever she was had wrapped gauze over his shoulder, red starting to show. She had parted the hair around his head bumps and had looked to be examining them when she came in.

Maybe she wasn't a ghost.

-000-


	7. Chapter 7

_"Normal is subjective, but I can't say I see this everyday."_

Alexa adjusted a pin ("Relax, it's only magic.") on her Day-Glo orange shirt. She was nervous about meeting _her_ for the first time. The gossip was rife with him and her, the OTP couple. Alexa had seen Percy before, but _Annabeth_ was who she was interested in. An Athena kid, the gossip trains said that she had come to camp at age 7, and had been here every since. A proficient fighter and strategist, she sounded amazing. And now, she was going to meet her!

Alexa's inner child screamed happily. On the outside, a smile lit up her face as she leaned against a column. Sand scratched against her gladiator sandals as watched the blonde walk towards her. This was going to be so awesome.

Annabeth smiled as she spotted the fourteen-year-old. The girl had asked to be trained in swordsplay, strange enough for a Hecate demigod, and then specifically requested her. It was more then enough to flatter a girl's ego.

She reached the fighting arena. "I have to say, normal is subjective, but I don't say I see this everyday."

The girl, _Alexa,_ her mind supplied, frowned curiously. "See what?"

"Well," Annabeth gestured to her, "A Hecate camper wanting to learn how to fight. You have magic and everything usually, so.." Gods, she sounded as awkward as Percy.

Relief seeped into Alexa's voice. "Oh! That! Yeah, I um, I was just, interested?" She chuckled uncomfortably. Obviously, Annabeth had hit a bad spot.

Annabeth could relate. Then she wondered what _this_ kid's problems were. "Hey, no problem. I was just curious. Have you gotten a weapon from the Armory yet?"

"Yeah," Unexpectedly, she didn't have a staff or wand, as per Hecate demigods. Instead, Alexa pulled a lightweight rapier from a sheath hanging on her side. Small and slim, the sword fit Alexa to a T.

Annabeth pulled out her hunting knife and wondered how she will do in such close quarters.


	8. Curioser and Curioser

_"Sorry I'm late, I didn't want to come."_

The kid was…short. Really short. He only came up to Leo's chin and Leo was pretty short himself, as Percy never failed to point out. It didn't help that the kid's clothes hung off him, making him look even shorter. But the kid stared at him, and Leo swore he saw stars in his eyes. "I'm super sorry I'm late I didn't want to come but now I do and this place is so awesome!" The kid rambled, grinning. Leo laughed.

"What's your name kid? Mine's Leo Valdez, Bad Boy Extraordinaire."

"James." A quick flash of a smile and then the kid was off like a rocket, running towards the cabins. Leo started walking.

This kid, James, was more ADHD than any other demigod Leo had seen. He couldn't keep still: either messing around with whatever was in his pockets or fiddling with a necklace held together by a fraying cord and about ready to break.

"So James, what are you interested in?" Leo grinned, slinging an arm around his charge's shoulder. Darn Percy and Piper for signing him up for the program.

James shrugged. "I like Legos, and building stuff."

Leo hummed thoughtfully. Time to change tactics, and places. He started to steer them toward the Armory. "Have you been claimed yet?"

"Yes?" James frowned and shrugged Leo off, "A flaming hammer was on top of my head and they told me to find you for the program. So what does that mean?" No way. _No way. This_ guy was a Hephaestus kid? Leo had him pegged for Apollo. The kid seemed to have a sort of glint in his eye that suggested him a thief.

"Means you're one of my half-brothers. Your dad's Hephaestus, god of fire and forges." Leo explained, "Now c'mon, I got to show you your cabin."

-000-

Piper was curious. Two boys, claimed on the same day, at the same time. Very, _very_ curious. The boy stared at the dove displayed above his head, curiosity written across his features. The other boy was quickly snagged by Leo.

"So you're one of my brothers," Piper mused. He did act like an Aphrodite kid. When he first came inside the camp, he was checking everyone out. Except it had been more in a "who can I be friends with?" way. Looks wise, he had it down. Short and stout, he was absolutely adorable. Piper had already seen several campers checking _him_ out.

"Huh?" The kid looked extremely confused. "How am I your brother?"

"You were just claimed. The dove's a sign of Aphrodite." Piper nodded to the slowly fading sign.'

The boy caught on, nodding slowly. "And your mom and my mom are her. That's just...weird." He shook his head. "Shoving that away to think of later. Okay."

She laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty weird when you think about it. Anyways, my name's Piper."

"Cole." Okay, this was strange. Piper could _feel_ herself relaxing even more at the sound of his name. She could breathe easier, and her muscles untensed. It was like charmspeak. Except it wasn't in his words, or maybe just his name. It felt like he had a comforting aura around him, that just made people relax. No wonder everyone liked him. She smiled.

They were all in for a very interesting summer.


	9. Lucky

_"Feel free to admire me."_

Laura couldn't believe her luck. Being told she's a demigod? Cool. Seeing all the myths she used to read come to life? Score! But going to a camp teeming with _very_ handsome boys and gorgeous girls? Fantastic! And here she was, admiring one of those very good-looking boys.

He was H-O-T, hot. And he apparently knew it. _Feel free to admire me_ wasscrawled across the back of his sweat stained shirt. Laura didn't know who she was. But he was most definitely her type: blond, muscular, tan, and _very_ handsome.

"You're definitely taken, but I'll admire you any day." She murmured. Setting her chin in her palms, Laura shamelessly ogled his body, watching the muscles work underneath the skin. His muscles pumped as he hacked the straw dummy to bits. Sweat beaded his hair as he raked a hand through it. At least, her staring was shameless until he turned around and locked eyes with her. Oops. He waved a hand in front of her face. "Are you okay?"

Oh no he was talking to her what does she _say? Say something!_ "I just need to be upfront and say that I visually enjoy you. Do you have a girlfriend?"

Those gorgeous sky blue eyes crinkled in surprise, "Um, yeah. Why?"

She dug her own grave, might as well lie in it. "A guy as handsome as you are always taken." She tilted her head. "Your shirt's a testament to that. My name's Laura, by the way."

"Jason. My shirt?" She heard someone laughing.

"Yeah, you wrote 'feel free to admire me' on the back." His face darkened as he thundered, "PERCY!" He took off running towards the laughing.

Laura watched him run. It _was_ expected for him to have a girlfriend, a guy as good-looking as that was always taken. So who was his girlfriend? Laura grinned mischievously. Time to look into the gossip train..

She stayed around long enough to watch them fight though. At one point, two other girls joined her in boy-watching. Both of them were beautiful in different ways. One was as tall as Laura, with blonde princess curls and stormy grey eyes. She squinted at the two boys and muttered something under her breath. The other girl had straight brown hair, tiny braids scattered throughout in different colored beads. Laura couldn't tell what color here eyes were; one minute they were blue, then grey, brown, green. She watched the fight, bored.

"Are those your boys?" Laura ventured timidly.

In unison, "Yes."


	10. A House of Impossible Things

(A House of Impossible Things) _The shop was tiny, filled with items that she was pretty sure were illegal._

The shop was small and cramped, lined with shelves holding haphazard collections of dusty old bottles of every size and hue, along with being filled floor to ceiling with stuff that Irene was pretty sure were illegal. In other words, it was the perfect hiding place.

 _You're a customer. Blend in._ Standing on her toes, she grabbed one bottle from one of the top shelves, accidently jostling some porcelain dolls. "Sorry." Irene smiled, clutching the bottle. Nobody would ever find her here. Miscellaneous items perched helter-skelter on top of bookcases, everything from books to dolls. Underfoot laid substances of every type, smushed into the floorboards to become a big sticky mess that could pull a customer's shoes off. Irene had seen it happen.

Dozens of chests laid open everywhere, often unfound until a customer rammed their foot into it. Those were usually filled with cloaks and books and animal food. Weapons from every era of history lined the walls, or the floor occasionally. From her angle at the back of the shop, Irene couldn't even see the front. But then there was the magical stuff. Irene had found that out the hard way. Just grabbing a random book off the aisle, had given her a face full of lightning and white splotches in her vision for a couple of days.

Her attention returned to the bottle. It fit uncomfortably in her palm, and was made of transparent electric blue glass. No label. _Weird._ "Pretty. Wonder what it's for _."_ Irene muttered. She leaned backwards as she uncorked it. Nothing happened. _Nothing, yet._ She leaned in and sniffed. Still nothing. "Well, here goes." Irene dumped the contents into her palm. A coarse purple powder poured out. "Huh." Her eyes narrowed.

"Something should have happened now." Every item with magic in this shop, worked in minutes. Whatever this powder's effect was, should happen in…Irene counted off in her head. _One, two, three…_ A row of blood-splattered poleaxes and shotguns next to her clinked together. Irene stared at them. "That's it? Nothing actually happened to me for once?" The pale teen asked the weapons, "I don't believe it. Just watch, something will happen."

Her hand tickled. Irene opened it; the powder had disappeared. "Eh, didn't do anything anyways." _Where was the effect? It's disappeared already, so the effects have already happened!_ Irene heard the shop door slam open and smack the wall. "Excuse me, have you seen a girl about yea high?" Someone asked.

 _I was wrong, for once._ A tentative smile slid onto Irene's face. _I was actually wrong. And it has never felt so good._ Then it fell as she heard him say, "Pale skin and black hair? She's my sister and I'm trying to find her." _And_ _that's why you never count your blessings too early._ Irene grabbed a bottle off a shelf and hurried to the other side of the shop. The slime stuck to her sandals, a loud glomp taking them from her feet. Rifles and spears alike clattered to the floor as she passed them by. But it no longer mattered if she was quiet or not; one of them had found her.

Irene could hear them shout, words lost in the vastness of the shop. But, thankfully, she had no shortage of escape routes. Shadows hid in ever corner of the shop, a quick get away in reach. Irene stopped at one such corner, panting. _Hopefully the bottle will have something useful._ A simple printed label on the side read "Reduce". Irene grimaced, maybe it's to reduce distraction? She doesn't know. She uncorked the top and tries to down the contents. The smell of flowers and burned sugar slithered out the opening, and a drop of gold slime slips on her tongue.

"You have got to be kidding me." _It just_ _ **had**_ _to be slime, didn't it?_ And she could hear her pursuer coming closer, thumps of objects falling to the ground announcing their impending arrival. Irene smacked the bottle, trying to get the liquid to come out faster.

She could _see_ them now. It was just a guy, olive skin and black hair, with a brown aviator jacket and a black sword swinging by his side. But something was off. Irene could _feel_ her ghost core straining away from him, pulling her into incorporeality. It didn't like this kid. But for whatever reason, she didn't feel fearful. It was like the very concept of fear had ceased to exist in her. She only felt curiosity. Was this the effect of the potion?

He saw her now too. He skidded to a stop, only two aisles away. "What are you?"

"A ghost!" Irene shouted back. She had nothing to lose now; maybe he was one too? No, he didn't have the aura around him. But whatever he was, it was powerful. Irene slipped into the shadows.

-000-

So _that_ was the girl Percy had told him about. Nico frowned. She wasn't really a girl, per say. He could tell the moment he saw her. She was some type of ghost, but not any that he had seen before. She had stared at him with pure neon green eyes, and had faded in and out of sight. But what she just did…she had just shadow-jumped.

"If she's a ghost, how the heck is that possible?" Nico said out loud, "It's almost like she's a meld of two things." Nico shook his head. He could think about that later. Right now, she had just shadow-jumped to Hades-knows-where, and he needed to find her.

"Hopefully this works." Nico muttered, uncorking a bottle. Hopefully it wouldn't kill him. The vivid purple powder stung his throat. Coughing, Nico melted into the shadows.

Nico could feel the effects of the sand the next time his feet hit solid ground. Adrenaline hummed through his veins, making him feel actually _better_ than before he had made the jump. He looked around the wooded area. The ghost girl must have quickly gathered some energy here, to be able to make her last jump. Her energy positively flashed her intentions. But she would have to go farther than that to escape him. Nico smiled for the first time that day. Next stop: Gravity Falls, Oregon.


End file.
